After some early March snow and then a few days of sun, I thought we were surely on track from some fantastic Northwest spring sunshine. I may have gotten my hopes up a bit early, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t dream of spring. We are hosting a big play date for 4 little tots and parents this weekend and it would be sure nice to be able to go outside.
These past two weeks have been all about fresh colors, fresh projects and fresh opportunities. Speaking of opportunities, I can’t attend this year’s Soap Guild but that means that you have a chance to! Tell me in 150 words or less why you deserve my ticket to the guild and you could be on your way to Tucson for four days of soapy workshops, presentations and fun. Good luck!
My social media world has been as active as ever. Take a look at my favorite things from the past few weeks.
Pins:
Top left, clockwise:
- I’ve started to plan my garden this year, and I’m definitely including a nice big patch for strawberries because of this delicious looking Strawberry Basil Galette. It’s such a fresh, simple recipe.
- These DIY Ombre Pendant Lamps are elegant enough for a living room or playful enough for a child’s bedroom. I would definitely need a few rounds of practice before attempting these, but I’m such a fan of the ombre look that I might just give it a try!
- Color gradient seems to be the theme this week: this colorful dresser caught my eye, and then I quickly got lost in all the other ways to refresh old furniture pieces. Looks like I’m going to have quite the DIY weekend!
- This faux funnel soap is such a fun design, and each cut bar is so unique (you can see photos of her cut bars here). These colors remind me of Fruity Pebbles breakfast cereal! You can learn the faux funnel technique from this blog post or through this Soap Queen TV episode.
Instagram:
On Wednesday we filmed a live Soap Crafting Club session featuring the Moisturizing Avocado Bars. Soap Crafting Club is a great way to get acquainted with the recipes in the Soap Crafting book, and spots in the spring and summer clubs are still available! You can learn more about the club here.
The Moisturizing Avocado Bar recipe is one of my all time favorites.
On Friday we stayed late to film an episode of Soap Queen TV. This is the Infinity Swirl — look for the video to appear on the blog in the coming months.
Tweets:
- You’ve probably head many of these before, but this 7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People article collects them all in one place. A few of my favorites: be busy, not rushed; have five close relationships; and embrace discomfort for mastery.
- If you’ve ever admired a fellow soaper’s business but felt you couldn’t start your own, consider this: successful entrepreneurs take a ‘why not me approach?’ to situations. From this article, ‘Entrepreneurs don’t assume those wildly successful people possess special talents or some gift from the gods. Entrepreneurs look at successful people and think, “That’s awesome. Why not me?”
- Sheryl Sandberg of ‘Lean In’ fame is on the move again, and this time it’s to ban the word “bossy”. She argues that it has a negative connotation that keeps girls from pursuing leadership positions. You go girl!
To keep up with the latest soapy social media throughout the week, you can follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
Wow – your 3 tweets, almost missed at the end of a very interesting blog entry, were all incredibly relevant! However, I want to give you a special thanks for mentioning “ban the word bossy.”
As a teacher, soap maker, and amateur chemist, I’m especially aware of how girls are dampened. I use that word because it fits perfectly how the process works – slowly but surely, girls are given the message that smart and assertive is not feminine. It pushes them down and weakens them. They become afraid to be heard.
I can’t tell you how many times a girl is described as bossy or worse, “mouthy,” for expressing a rational sentiment. If a boy were to say the same exact thing, he’d be described as “intelligent” and a “go getter.”
I believe that people are mostly good (at least until they prove otherwise!). As a result, they aren’t aware of how we send subtle messages, and would be horrified if they understood what was happening. So thank you again, Anne-Marie, for promoting our girl-power awareness!
Hi Cid!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, and specifically liked the “ban on bossy.” I totally agree with all the great points you made! It’s important for girls to feel empowered to speak their minds. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Those “7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People” are so neat! Love the unique way that faux funnel soap is cut!!
Hi Olivia!
Aren’t they fun? They are so true as well! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry